Deborah D. Chukwuedo is a highly accomplished transaction lawyer and dispute resolution specialist with 21 years of experience in Corporate and Commercial Law. She holds an LL.M. in International Business Law from the University of London, complemented by a Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate in Laws (International Business Law; Commercial and Corporate Law) from the same institution, and a B.L. from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.
As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), a Fellow of the Institute of Construction Industry Arbitrators, and a Fellow of the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN), she brings an exceptional breadth of formal qualification to her practice. She is also an accredited Insolvency Practitioner under the Corporate Affairs Commission and has been appointed Liquidator in both creditors’ and members’ voluntary winding-up proceedings.
As the firm’s lead transactional partner, Deborah has represented both solicitors-to-the-company and solicitors-to-the-transaction in capital market mandates spanning Private Placements, IPOs, Rights Issues, Mergers & Acquisitions, and corporate restructuring transactions across the financial services, insurance, oil and gas, and technology sectors.
Areas of Practice
- Capital Markets (IPOs, Rights Issues, Private Placements, M&A)
- Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency
- Construction & Real Estate Transactions
- Dispute Resolution, Litigation & Arbitration (including sitting as Sole Arbitrator)
- Company Secretarial & Corporate Governance
- Contract Drafting, Negotiation & Management
- Investment Transactions & Due Diligence
- Debt Recovery & Enforcement
Notable Transactions & Experience
- Team Lead: Advising a client on an ongoing Concession Transaction with a State Government.
- Represented the pioneer Telecoms/Technology Value-Added Service provider in Nigeria in its Private Placement, conversion to a Public Limited Company, and registration of shares with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Solicitor to a joint venture in acquisition and operation of assets for a tank farm investment exceeding N1,000,000,000.
- Successfully represented the Securities and Exchange Commission in litigation before the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal.
- Solicitor to Insurance Companies in Rights Issues and Public Offers during the regulatory-ordered recapitalisation of the Insurance industry.
- Solicitor to an Insurance Company in the acquisition of two insurance companies and in a merger to meet regulatory recapitalisation requirements.
- Solicitor to a financial institution in Rights Issues, Public Offers and a cross-institution acquisition.
- Advised a publicly traded oil and gas company in its bid for a 50% stake in another oil and gas company.
- Appointed Liquidator to creditors’ winding up proceedings for recovery of creditors’ funds.
- Managed the real estate portfolio of an insurance company valued at billions of naira.
Professional Memberships
- Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) — FCIArb
- Fellow, Institute of Construction Industry Arbitrators — FICIArb
- Fellow, Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN) — FBR
- Member, Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre
- Member, Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA)
- Firm Representative, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
- Member, ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR
- Accredited Insolvency Practitioner, Corporate Affairs Commission
Education
- LL.M., International Business Law — University of London
- Postgraduate Diploma in Laws (International Business Law) — University of London
- Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (Commercial and Corporate Law) — University of London
- Barrister at Law (B.L.) — Nigerian Law School, Lagos
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) — University of Benin, Faculty of Law